Australian Prime Ministers

Australia has a short history of just over 100 years as a federation following a few constitutional conventions in the late 19th century. This lead to our parliamentary system based on the Westminster model. That is a bicameral parliament and a Governor General Viceroy representing the monarch in Britain.

This quiz will test your knowledge of Australian Prime Ministers in our short lived federation. Some have been dull, some have been exciting, even verging on the mad and some have been forgettable. How well do you know these guys? Take the test and find out.

When did Australia become a federation made up of 6 states (the 6 former colonies)?

June 1, 1901

January 1, 1901

August 4, 1903

August 7, 1907

September 8, 1897

April 1, 1894

Who became the first Prime Minister on federation?

Alfred Deakin

John Christian Watson

Andrew Fisher

George Houstoun Reid

Joseph Cook

Sir Edmund Barton

The main street of the Victorian town of Mildura is named after ________ who later became an early Prime Minister of Australia.

Sir Edmund Barton

John Christian Watson

Alfred Deakin

William Morris Hughes

Joseph Cook

Andrew Fisher

Who was longest serving Prime Minister?

Robert James Lee Hawke

John Winston Howard

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies

Joseph Aloysius Lyons

Arthur William Fadden

John Malcolm Fraser

He served

7 years, 4 months

11 years, 8 months 22 days

8 years, 9 months, 10 days

2 terms (2 years, 4 months, 4 days) and (16 years, 1 month, 8 days)

7 years, 3 months, 2 days

6 years, 8 months, 14 days

Who was the Prime Minister who went swimming and disappeared?

William McMahon

John Grey Gorton

John McEwen

Harold Edward Holt,

Francis Michael Forde

Edward Gough Whitlam

After his presumed drowning the Country Party leader __________ blackmailed the Liberal Party into dumping a leading preferred candidate for leader, and Treasurer, __________ in favour of anyone else in what was a bitter feud between the two.

John McEwen, John Grey Gorton

John McEwen, William McMahon

Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, Arthur William Fadden

Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, Robert Gordon Menzies

John Curtin, Joseph Benedict Chifley

Arthur William Fadden, John Curtin

Who was elected Labor Prime Minister after 23 years of a Liberal/Country Party coalition government?

Robert James Lee Hawke

William McMahon

Paul John Keating

John Malcolm Fraser,

Edward Gough Whitlam

John Curtin

Which Prime Minister was fired by the Governor General on Remembrance Day 1975?

John Malcolm Fraser

Edward Gough Whitlam

John Grey Gorton

Robert James Lee Hawke

William McMahon

Harold Edward Holt

Which former Prime Minister was caught without his pants in Memphis, USA?

Edward Gough Whitlam

William McMahon

John Malcolm Fraser

Robert James Lee Hawke

Paul John Keating

John Grey Gorton

The next few questions are memorable quotes from some of our Right Honourables. Who would you associate with phrases like "scum bag", and the "recession we had to have"?

John Winston Howard

Edward Gough Whitlam

Robert James Lee Hawke

John Malcolm Fraser

Paul John Keating

John Grey Gorton

Who said "Well may we say God save the Queen, because nothing will save the Governor-General"?

John Grey Gorton

Edward Gough Whitlam

William McMahon

John Malcolm Fraser

John Winston Howard

Harold Edward Holt

Which Australian Prime Minister said "I did but see her passing by and yet I love her 'till I die"?

William McMahon

Harold Edward Holt

Robert Gordon Menzies

John McEwen

Edward Gough Whitlam

Paul John Keating

Which Prime Minister was overheard saying "silly old bugger" after speaking to a pensioner?

Robert James Lee Hawke

Paul John Keating

John Malcolm Fraser

John Winston Howard

Kevin Michael Rudd

Harold Edward Holt

Which Prime Minister said "All the way with LBJ"?

Harold Edward Holt,

John McEwen

John Curtin

Joseph Benedict Chifley

John Grey Gorton

William McMahon

Which Prim Minister managed a rock band called The Ramrods?

Edward Gough Whitlam,

John Malcolm Fraser

Paul John Keating

Robert James Lee Hawke

John Winston Howard

John Grey Gorton

Which 2 Prime Ministers are the only Prime Ministers to lose their own House of Representative seat in an election?

William McMahon and Robert Gordon Menzies

Arthur William Fadden and John Curtin

William Morris Hughes and John Winston Howard

Stanley Melbourne Bruce and William Morris Hughes

Stanley Melbourne Bruce and John Winston Howard

George Houstoun Reid and John Winston Howard

In which city or town do you find an "Avenue of Prime Ministers" in a park reserve featuring busts of Australian Prime Ministers past and present?

Melbourne

Sydney

Mildura

Bendigo

Ballarat

Adelaide

Remember to rate this quiz on the next page!
Rating helps us to know which quizzes are good and which are bad.

What is GotoQuiz? A better kind of quiz site: no pop-ups, no registration requirements, just high-quality quizzes
that you can create and share on your social network. Have a look around and see what we're about.